St. George’s College, Mussoorie

In the EW India School Rankings 2017-18, SGC is ranked among the country’s Top 10 boys boarding schools. Moreover the school has been awarded the highest student-parent satisfaction rating in India in a recent survey conducted by Great Place to Study, UK - Sruthy Susan Ullas

St. George’s College was promoted in 1853 by the Rome-based Capuchin Friars Catholic order. In 1894 the school’s management was ceded to the Ireland-based Society of the Brothers of St. Patrick. Set on a picturesque 400-acre campus 5 km from the heart of the popular hill-station of Mussoorie, today St. George’s College (SGC) is widely reputed as one of India’s oldest and most respected all-boys boarding schools. 

In the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2017-18, SGC is ranked among the country’s Top 10 boys boarding schools and the Top 5 in the education hub state of Uttarakhand. Moreover, after the school was awarded the highest student-parent satisfaction rating (4.8 upon 5) in India in a survey conducted by Great Place To Study, a UK-based education research and consultancy firm, it was conferred a certificate and badge of honour by the firm at a ceremony in the House of Commons, London. Affiliated with the New Delhi-based Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), this class IV-XII school has 697 students mentored by 65 highly qualified teachers.

“The core competencies we have developed over the past 165 years is to provide high-quality primary-secondary education combined with co-curricular and sports education that enables our students to become confident, responsible and empathetic leaders. Pupils are encouraged to uphold the principles of good conduct and have the moral courage to stand up for what’s right,” says Br. Tomy Varghese, principal of SGC. An alum of Loyola College of Education, Chennai, who over the past 20 years has acquired rich teaching and administrative experience as vice-principal of St. Joseph’s, Conoor and principal of St. Patricks, Angamaly, Kerala, Br. Tomy was appointed principal of SGC in 2014. 

The distinguishing feature of SGC is undoubtedly its splendid campus situated at an altitude of 7,000 ft above mean sea level, offering spectacular vistas of valleys and forests of the Himalayan foothills. The school’s sprawling campus itself is an architectural marvel and includes an aesthetic blend of old-world buildings, distinguished by its magnificent clock tower and recently renovated state-of-the-art academic, sports and co-curricular facilities. The landmark clock was custom-built in 1936 by world-renowned watch-makers J.B. Joyce & Co, UK and a well-maintained museum showcases the school’s rich history and houses a vintage piano, scientific instruments and photographs dating back to the 1870s.

Simultaneously, SGC’s academic infrastructure is sufficiently contemporary to ensure delivery of 21st century holistic education. It includes 22 Smart classrooms with wi-fi connectivity, a creative lab to mentor students in lateral thinking and digital media technologies, three well-equipped science labs, a computer lab with 140 terminals with Internet connectivity, an 800-seat auditorium, dance studios, music rooms, and a library with more than 10,000 volumes and 15 journal subscriptions.

Unsurprisingly given this enabling infrastructure, students’ learning outcomes are excellent. Of the 64 students who wrote the class X ICSE exam in 2018, 56 passed with distinction, with the topper scoring 97.8 percent. In the class XII ISC school-leaving examination, 28 of the 41 SGC students cohort passed with distinction, with the topper averaging 97.5 percent. 

Inevitably in keeping with the best traditions of India’s vintage legacy boarding schools, extensive games and sports options are available to students. Among them are the newly renovated fully-equipped M.C. Wood gymnasium, an indoor heated swimming pool, four all-weather tennis and badminton courts, table tennis room and separate grounds for hockey, football, cricket, soccer. Moreover, camping and river rafting are compulsory outdoor activities for all senior school students. Not surprisingly, SGC has produced seven hockey olympians and distinguished alumni include former chief election commissioner of India, M.S. Gill, Major Haripal Singh Ahluwalia, the first Indian to scale Mount Everest and Gen. Shankar Roy Choudhury, Chief of Army Staff. 

Co-curricular education gets equal importance. Students have the options of art and crafts, design and technology, debating, dance, quiz, yoga and carpentry classes. The school also offers the speech, drama and music programmes of Trinity College, London and SGC debates teams have won several national competitions and accolades in Model United Nations (MUN) debates. 

“Having recently overhauled and modernised our academic infrastructure, our current focus is on improving sports facilities. Renovation of our multi-sports indoor complex and astro-turfing the main football ground so that students can play the beautiful game all year round is high on our development agenda. Of course, our top priority is academic excellence, but providing a balanced education with strong emphasis on sports and co-curricular education has been our tradition for 165 years,” says Bro. Tomy.